The Grave Stele of Hegeso is definitely one of the most unique art pieces from ancient Greece. It is a funerary monument that was attributed to Kallimacho’s, the sculptor. Dating back to approximately 400 BCE, the stele stands at a height of 1.58m ( James Whitley, 2001 ). This work of art was done as a relief sculpture that was carved from the marble of Athens (pentelic marble). It was only after decades that it was discovered at the Koroibo’s family section in Athens. The stele is a depiction of two figures. The first one is a female figure identified as a maid whereas the other one who appears to be resting is Hegeso. It is imperative to note that the classical nature of the art in this era did not allow artists to portray facial expressions in their work. This is the case with the Stele of Hegeso where all the figures are expressionless.
In the stele, Hegeso is seen examining the contents of a jewelry box that has been offered by her maid ( Pedley, 1965 ). On the border of the steel, an architectural frame has been carefully built as a means of displaying significance and importance of this art work. The figures in the monument are portrayed in a ¾ angle as they overlap the border lines. These elements in the stele make its composition to seem more dynamic since it provides an allowance for the figures to stand out in a unique way as opposed to other sculptures that limited their subjects within the frame of their work.
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It is important to note that the artist was highly influenced by the high classical movement during this period from the way he handles the disposition of the marble in the stele. The drapery in the monument is in extremely fine detail in terms of subject representation. Even though this was developed as a relief sculpture to commemorate Hegeso’s life, the artist pays keen attention to other small aspects on the side of her face that make her seem as if she is lost in thought ( Kleiner, 2015 ). The sculptor carved a shallow area so that her hair and the vail could fall on the other side of her head as a means of displaying the other side of her unseen face.
The grave marker marks a commemoration of Hegeso’s wealthy life. From an analysis of the stele, one can note that she was very wealthy because her servant was holding a jewelry box probably so that she could select something of her choice to wear in an occasion. When it comes to the Parthenon frieze and other aspects, the drapery is seen falling gracefully from the bodies of the two figures ( Leader, 1997 ). Even though these two women are not depicted to be engaged in any dramatic action, one can easily conceive the task at hand and their awareness of each other.
In this work, the artist has managed to engage his audience by carefully portraying the rapt attention of the women so that anyone who sees the stele becomes entangled in their consciousness ( Grossman & Paul Getty Museum, 2001 ). Hegeso’s pose is suggestive, showing that she is either regretful or weary. As one sees this sculpture, they may think that she was saying her farewell to worldly goods or maybe she was lost in thought. Nevertheless, this sculpture is a true representation of her consciousness and her status in the society.
References
Grossman, J. B., & J. Paul Getty Museum. (2001). Greek funerary sculpture: Catalogue of the collections at the Getty Villa . Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum.
James Whitley. (2001). The archaeology of ancient Greece . Cambridge University Press.
Kleiner, F. S. (2015). Gardner's Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book F: Non-Western Art Since 1300 . Cengage Learning.
Leader, R. E. (1997). In death not divided: Gender, family, and state on classical Athenian grave stelae. American Journal of Archaeology , 683-699.
Pedley, J. G. (1965). An Attic Grave Stele in the Fogg Art Museum. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology , 69 , 259-267.
